As soon as people hear the name Chhattisgarh they start thinking about Naxals but the fact is Naxalism is limited to some parts of state and is not spread everywhere in the State.
Manendragarh is small town situated in Koriya district of Chhattisgarh which offers much to explore when you go there as tourist. Connectivity to reach here is limited and Trains upto Annupur Junction are readily available and from there regular passenger trains, taxis and buses to Manendragarh are available.
There are many options to Stay in all budgets from lodges and guesthouses like Hotel Vinay on station road to Hotels like Hasdeo Inn. For Hunger Cravings there is Hazari Hotel very old and famous in town followed Marwadi Bhojanalay on Station Road are decent.
The first place to visit was Herbal Garden Campus which is situated on Banks of Hasdeo River and has scattered small temples, Water Pumping station right on the River. The view of River is stunning from pumping station and over all views from Temple Complex are satisfying. There is good amount of walk involved in exploring this destination so be prepared.
On chatting with priest of Temple it was known that Herbal Garden is popular picnic destination among locals and people often visit in large numbers during weekends and public holidays for picnic with family and youngsters take dip into the running water of Hasdeo River.
After a good night's sleep now it was time to get going again and checkout what other destinations are. Nagpur is a popular City in Maharashtra but surprisingly there is a small village near Manendragarh which is also known as Nagpur and Amritdhara Waterfall can be reached after crossing Nagpur Village. From manendragarh the distance is about 30 km and it takes 30 to 40 mins to reach the destination from Manendragarh.
Amritdhara waterfall is on Hasdeo River and water here falls from height of about 80 to 90 feet. Many locals enjoy Picnic here and bring home cooked food to enjoy with the satisfying sound of Water falling down on rocks. There is no shop or nothing at this place so carry water and snacks when visiting this place. Forest department has plans of creating a rest house where visitors can stay. Locals carry out activities like Mahua fruit drying on the rocks adjacent to waterfall and bring their cattle for quenching their thirst.
The views are again very catch and there is trail that leads to the bottom of the falls in case if you are interested to go down and take a dip in falling water.
On the Rock Surface one can see the small sink holes formed primarily due to Water accumulation and weathering of rocks from very long time.
The last day was all about digging in the history at Gauri Shankar Temple in Devgarh Village of Ambikapur Tehsil located near Bishrampur. The spot can be reached from Manendragarh after crossing Surajpur and for last 2 to 3 km the road is Raw (Kachha road) which will give you bumpy ride and wake you up if from quick nap.
The Gauri Shankar Mandir attracts a lot of visitors during Shivratri Fair and few on weekends. The Scenic beauty around temple is very admirable and views of Rihand River will take all of your tiredness.
There are ruins of some Old Temples as well which according to the priest are centuries old and believed to be constructed by Nagvamshi Rulers before many thousand years. There are Idols and Deities with ruins of Temples that can be seen around the site.
After chatting with local visitors it was known that the Shiv Devotees from surrounding areas visit this temple regularly on Mondays and on the day of Maha Shivratri mega celebration is done. People collect water from Rihand River and bring here for Jal Abhishek.
This place is looked after by priest and local visitors but needs to be taken good care by government or other religious institutions in surrounding areas Surajpur and Bishrampur.
Chhattisgarh has a lot of Unexplored Destinations that will surprise any visitor.
Thank You for Reading, Please give suggestions and comments on this trip. Abhay Parmar.